A current news story that relates to To Kill a Mockingbird is one about Voting ID laws in North Carolina. "Beginning in 2016, most voters will need to show acceptable photo ID at the polls," the official website reads. Acceptable forms of ID include a drivers license, state ID card, passport, veterans ID card, military ID card, or tribal ID card. This makes it virtually impossible for undocumented immigrants, people who don't drive or deposit checks, and many other groups of people, to vote or contribute to society in other ways. In TKAM, there are prejudices seen every day in Maycomb county. Whether that be big things, like Tom Robinson getting convicted without enough evidence or getting shot 17 times and dying after a few shots, to to things that happen every day, like Scout being looked down for being a girl, or wealth in Maycomb that affects social status and the way people treat each other.
There are obviously many things wrong with this. Voting is a right that EVERYONE should have, no matter it be if you're from a different city, state, country, or continent. Everyone in America came from somewhere else. Denying some people the right to do such a basic thing as vote is just wrong. I hope in a month, North Carolina's government decides to come to their senses.
Gavel
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Blog 5
LINK TO ARTICLE
This is a link to the article Officer in Chicago Shooting Released from Jail. In this article a white police officer charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a black teenager last year was released from jail on Monday after his lawyer pledged that he was not a flight risk and that he intended to mount a vigorous defense at trial.
This is a link to the article Officer in Chicago Shooting Released from Jail. In this article a white police officer charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a black teenager last year was released from jail on Monday after his lawyer pledged that he was not a flight risk and that he intended to mount a vigorous defense at trial.
JUDGE DONALD D. PANARESE JR., OF COOK COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT, SET BAIL AT $1.5 MILLION FOR THE OFFICER, JASON VAN DYKE, AFTER WATCHING A VIDEO FROM A POLICE DASHBOARD CAMERA OF THE SHOOTING. HOURS LATER, OFFICER VAN DYKE, THE FIRST CHICAGO POLICE OFFICER IN DECADES TO BE CHARGED WITH MURDER IN AN ON-DUTY SHOOTING, POSTED 10 PERCENT OF THAT, OR $150,000, AND WAS FREED.
(I dont know why that ^^^ all copied over in caps...weird...)
First of all, itś so incredibly wrong that an incident happened like this in the first place. It was flat out murder and brings so much shame to the police department. Regarding the specific of Van Dyke getting out jail in this article, I dont think thatś okay. His bail was set so high for a reason: so he couldnt get out of jail. For him to only pay a percentage and get off easy until is trial? Not cool.
What SHOULD HAVE happened is he stayed in jail until trial. Flight risk or not, it is not acceptable for a man who has committed such a devastation to be free in the world while awaiting his trial which will expectantly also take a very long time, just giving him more free time.
When reading this article I relate the police officer, Van Dyke, to Bob Ewell. In TKAM Bob Ewell is doing a terrible thing to an underprivileged, black man just as Van Dyke did to McDonald. Thereś nothing Tom Robinson could do about his conviction by a white man and McDonald had no way to stop himself from being shot in cold blood, seventeen times. I honestly dont believe that the case in Chicago has as much to do with racism as the trial in TKAM. This is because I believe our media blows up racism like CRAZY, yes the shooting had aspects of racism, but I believe it was more of a mixture of that and corruption. But, I dont know the whole story. In TKAM there was a crime that needed to be blamed on someone so it was given to a black man because no one would doubt the word of a white man at the time.
Both these events tie together in the end, in that they are terrible events that should have never happened.
News Today
News today, huh?
Well...
My mom likes to listen to podcasts, and she started one in the fall of 2014. It's called Serial and like its name, it releases a new podcast every week that is a continuation of the previous. And I admit, I was just as hooked on the podcast as she was, and couldn't wait for the next one.
The podcast was an investigative story on a 1999 trial where a senior from Baltimore named Adnan Syed was convicted guilty of murdering his ex girlfriend after she disappeared from school one day. He claims he is innocent and recently a new witness has surfaced claiming they can testify his alibi the night Hae Min Lee was murdered. The whole season is about host Sarah Koenig digging into the case after that witness who could free Syed disappears again. Now 35, Syed is getting another hearing due to inadequate evidence and legal representation.
I know this all sounds super lame and nerdy but podcasts are super cool and you should listen to Serial season one. Season two just started November 24 and its just as super awesome as season one. Just sayin' ;) ;)
Anyway, back to the book. This all relates to the injustice and corruption the law has shown through out history.
"We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe--some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they're born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cakes than other--some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of most men.
'But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal--there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court...Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.'" (Lee 274)
In Tom Robinson's case, the law was not in his favor, nor in any black person's for that matter at the time. The same is the case with Hae Min Lee's murder. I personally believe that he Adnan is innocent, but he was convicted guilty when the corrupt justice system assumed the case was just another stereotypical jealous ex boyfriend kills his ex girlfriend.
Stereotypes.
So often do people assume and stereotype in the justice system in order to move cases along. Its a sure sign of laziness. It's not until people uncover these unjust cases and bring it to higher authorities's attention, that there is real justice.
Anyway, back to the book. This all relates to the injustice and corruption the law has shown through out history.
"We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe--some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they're born with it, some men make more money than others, some ladies make better cakes than other--some people are born gifted beyond the normal scope of most men.
'But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal--there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court...Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal.'" (Lee 274)
In Tom Robinson's case, the law was not in his favor, nor in any black person's for that matter at the time. The same is the case with Hae Min Lee's murder. I personally believe that he Adnan is innocent, but he was convicted guilty when the corrupt justice system assumed the case was just another stereotypical jealous ex boyfriend kills his ex girlfriend.
Stereotypes.
So often do people assume and stereotype in the justice system in order to move cases along. Its a sure sign of laziness. It's not until people uncover these unjust cases and bring it to higher authorities's attention, that there is real justice.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
separate but equal" this is a quote used in the book To Kill A Mocking Bird. this quote stands for the jim crow time period it was a very bad period because blacks couldn't be like white people and that also happened in TKAM with the black person getting put in jail for supposedly rape when he really didn't. This took place in the year on 1964. I feel like that should have never happened blacks aren't any less because the a different color don't be racist people should have been treated the same the whole time. 
being black is not being different being black is being a human. That is what Atticus is trying to prove from Maycomb.
being black is not being different being black is being a human. That is what Atticus is trying to prove from Maycomb.
if its illegal is it really bad?
"Atticus, that's bad" I said. In Maycomb, hunting out of season was a misdemeanor at law, a capital felony in the eyes of the populace.
"it's against the law, all right" said my father.
"and its certainly bad but when a man spends his relief checks n pains. I don't know of any landowner around here who begrudges those children any game their father can hit"
this means that it's okay to break the law when it depends on the life of your children. because yeah its wrong to hunt when its not the season but if you need to feed your children it does not matter to break the law. (that is the opinion of atticus).
In my onion he does have a point in saying that but if you need to feed your children you do wherever you have to do to feed them. On the news theirs always people who sell drugs because they dont have any other opportunities to have money so they sell drugs.
"it's against the law, all right" said my father.
"and its certainly bad but when a man spends his relief checks n pains. I don't know of any landowner around here who begrudges those children any game their father can hit"
this means that it's okay to break the law when it depends on the life of your children. because yeah its wrong to hunt when its not the season but if you need to feed your children it does not matter to break the law. (that is the opinion of atticus).
In my onion he does have a point in saying that but if you need to feed your children you do wherever you have to do to feed them. On the news theirs always people who sell drugs because they dont have any other opportunities to have money so they sell drugs.
Law one
"If you had been on that jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man,' said Atticus. 'So far nothing in your life has interfered with your reasoning process. Those are twelve reasonable men in everyday life, Tom’s jury, but you saw something come between them and reason. You saw the same thing that night in front of the jail. When that crew went away, they didn’t go as reasonable men, they went because we were there. There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life.'"
As we read in the book By Harper lee How to kill a mocking bird we See a trail which has a large connection in real life where an unjust jury and court system. In real life the american justice system to prosecute black African Americans specifically men. Famous trails being Emmett till who two men then beat him nearly to death, gouged out his eye, shot him in the head, and then threw his body, tied to the cotton-gin fan with barbed wire, into the river, James byrd who had his neck tied to a rope and on the other end of the rope was a Chevrolet pick up truck where he was dragged until his head was ripped off.
Anyways the point is that black men have always gottenthe shot end of the stick and will continue to for a long long time.
Blog 1
"I do. I guess it's to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom's. Besides," Atticues grinned, "I doubt if we'd ever get a complete case tried-the ladies'd be interrupting to ask questions." page: 296
This section of the book stuck out to me because of the way Atticus so carelessly puts down women. This whole book he seems like the good, sensible guy who thinks everyone should be equal. But no, this does not expand to the rights of women. He still beliefs that women are too "fragile" and not "sensible enough" to stand on a jury, think for themselves, and make important decisions.
In today's society men and women are created equal...sometimes. I know in the "adult world" there's all sorts of problems with women not getting the same pay and all that but I want to talk about the way girls are treated in the "teenage world."
Now let's get a little personal here, just a few weeks ago, I liked this guy. Everything was great, we held hands, texted every night, and I was treated as if I was the only one for him. He was older than me so I always had that little suspicion in the back of my head thinking I was getting played, was I just a little freshman getting played by a junior? But I pushed it away. Problems ended up arising and things didn't work out. It's funny how after a relationship you find all the flaws. People started telling me he was talking to another girl too, didn't tell his friends about me, acted as if a relationship was in the future with me but told me not yet then gets an official girlfriend two weeks after we break up? Yeah, real nice guy. Accuses me for ruining the relationship when I got mad over something little he did when it could have easily been fixed by a simple apology on both our parts.
Even now, in this society, men put down women. We're put down as less sensible and just toys to be played with. Not cool. Not cool at all. Throughout time, we deserve respect. Respect in the fact that we are important, independent individuals.
This section of the book stuck out to me because of the way Atticus so carelessly puts down women. This whole book he seems like the good, sensible guy who thinks everyone should be equal. But no, this does not expand to the rights of women. He still beliefs that women are too "fragile" and not "sensible enough" to stand on a jury, think for themselves, and make important decisions.
In today's society men and women are created equal...sometimes. I know in the "adult world" there's all sorts of problems with women not getting the same pay and all that but I want to talk about the way girls are treated in the "teenage world."
Now let's get a little personal here, just a few weeks ago, I liked this guy. Everything was great, we held hands, texted every night, and I was treated as if I was the only one for him. He was older than me so I always had that little suspicion in the back of my head thinking I was getting played, was I just a little freshman getting played by a junior? But I pushed it away. Problems ended up arising and things didn't work out. It's funny how after a relationship you find all the flaws. People started telling me he was talking to another girl too, didn't tell his friends about me, acted as if a relationship was in the future with me but told me not yet then gets an official girlfriend two weeks after we break up? Yeah, real nice guy. Accuses me for ruining the relationship when I got mad over something little he did when it could have easily been fixed by a simple apology on both our parts.
Differing from in TKAM, women are now allowed to serve on the jury. It's law that our courts have a diverse society. That's great. But there's so much more to change.
Even now, in this society, men put down women. We're put down as less sensible and just toys to be played with. Not cool. Not cool at all. Throughout time, we deserve respect. Respect in the fact that we are important, independent individuals.
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